Connectivity and access to technology can promote social progress
National Broadband Ireland (NBI), the company rolling out the Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP), has praised Ireland’s global leadership on World Telecommunication Day (17th May), by highlighting recent industry statistics published by ComReg which demonstrates the countries’ progress towards becoming the most connected country in Europe.
According to ComReg, almost 668,000 subscriber lines are now fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP), representing over 40% of total fixed broadband subscriber lines in Ireland. ComReg also noted that FTTP is the most commonly purchased broadband technology and is currently available at 62% of all premises, as measured by Eircodes.
In relation to the analysis, National Broadband Ireland Chief Executive Officer, Peter Hendrick, said: “The purpose of World Telecommunication Day is to help raise awareness of the possibilities that the Internet can bring to societies and economies, as well as ways to bridge the digital divide, so it’s interesting to reflect on ComReg’s recent findings. The data shows notable uptake of fibre broadband connections, and while that is encouraging in terms of creating a gigabit society, we can, and should do more.”
Mr Hendrick went on to comment on NBI’s own experience to date, “The take-up rate on the NBI network, when blended across all deployment areas, currently averages 30%. Naturally, all deployment areas are released to market at different time intervals, so it is vital to understand how take-up performs over time. We’re happy to report that take-up is 50% in areas where the network has been live for more than 24 months. While this performance is surpassing initial expectations and other international comparisons; for every premises connected to fibre, there remains one that is unconnected. As an industry, we must address any gap in public understanding of the reliability and speed which is now becoming available on fibre to the home networks and ensure that people are not missing out on the benefits of high-speed broadband.”
David McCourt, founder and chairman of National Broadband Ireland commented, “A huge amount of credit must go to the Irish Government for its ambition and leadership in developing the NBP. Their blueprint coupled with NBI’s execution provides a model for other countries to follow, as Ireland will soon become the most connected country in Europe. At NBI, we believe that better broadband networks promote social progress, equality and sustainability. With connectivity and access to pioneering technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Ireland has a genuine opportunity to be a global leader and ensure its citizens have access to better and cheaper services such as education and healthcare.”
The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the Irish Government’s initiative to deliver high-speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland that aren’t served by commercial operators. It is the largest ever telecommunications project undertaken by the Irish State and recognised as one of the biggest and most ambitious telecoms infrastructure projects of its kind globally. Once completed, it will serve over 1.1 million people and ensure all of Ireland will have access to a modern and reliable broadband network, capable of supporting the communications, information, education and entertainment requirements of current and future generations.
